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Thursday, March 9, 2017

ISIS Sanctuary Map: March 9, 2017

By Alexandra Gutowski and the ISW Research Team

ISIS
incurred territorial losses in Iraq and Syria between February 27 and March 9,
2017. Pro-regime forces recaptured Palmyra with the assistance of Iran, Russia,
and Lebanese Hezbollah on March 2. Pro-regime forces seized additional villages
from ISIS in northeast Aleppo province on March 7 and March 9, recapturing
critical infrastructure. The U.S.-backed Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) continues to clear the countryside east of Raqqa in an effort to
isolate Raqqa city, seizing villages along an interior road on March 9. Iraqi
Security Forces captured the Ninewa government building in southwest Mosul on
March 7 as well. ISIS retains capable ground forces in Raqqa, eastern Homs, and
Deir ez Zour provinces that will continue to attack regime forces in Syria.
ISIS has also likely infiltrated broader zones across Iraq and Syria that it
will cultivate for future spectacular attack campaigns. ISIS appears to be
concurrently surging in Afghanistan, which ISIS may increasingly emphasize
within its global campaign as it incurs losses in Iraq and Syria that it cannot
immediately offset.